Or it could be wolf-crying. Again. It's hard to take what many clubs say seriously.
Possible Stu. But if so, it is a very dangerous strategy for any LOI club especially one that has depended so recently on the generosity of its fan base (and beyond). Even by LOI clubs standard (not saying much ) such short term thinking would be crazy.Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Shock as LoI club maybe engages in stupid strategy.
A lot of people at the meeting on Tuesday were very surprised by a slide showing examples of some of the fixed costs....ref fees, phones/heat, pitch maintenance, security (event controller required under licensing), floodlight maintenance, insurance, medical (physio, hospital, scans, ops etc) and a 3 or 4 more. They totalled 130K roughly. And they were just some of them. We were told there were plenty of others such as rent to the FAI, travelling costs etc. I know the pitch for example required a lot of work this season due to drainage problems. We were told that the most optimistic projected shortfall was 150K and pessimistic around 200K but the realistic figure was 185K. Of course it should be possible to shave off bits and pieces here and there once people can negotiate better deals with suppliers etc. The main thing seems to be that the income figures this year fell so far short of everyone's worst expectations that the income side for 2011 has to be virtually nil (slight exaggeration obviously but you get my drift). So huge fixed costs on one side and beyond pessimistic income on the other and there's your gap, be it 50K, 100K, 150K or 200K. Doesn't really alter the fact that there's no one there to underwrite it whatever it is. The message really was that the lads now running it need to have security of funds in order to try and put proper structures in place that ultimately will save the club money in the long-term. Can't really understand the scepticism on here myself given that it is supporters who are setting the budget and who have been given full access to the club's finances for quite a while now because the idea since last year was that they would take over the club.
The scepticism is because there are clubs smaller than Drogheda not looking at optimistic E150k shortfalls next season.
They are in trouble of not getting a licence for the "budget of € 250,000 to € 300,000 for 2011". That is not the same as being in trouble of getting a licence.Think they are saying getting a licence depends on it - i would call that "trouble" yes
So again I ask, is it about getting a licence or about getting a licence for a budget that they reckon they can push for promotion with?
If you attack me with stupidity, I'll be forced to defend myself with sarcasm.
From the Drawda Indent article on page 2 -
The club says it hopes to operate with a budget [...] which would allow Bobby Browne put together a squad capable of making a credible push for an immediate return to the Premier Division.
In fairness there's probably only a difference of 80 grand max between surviving in the first and pushing for promotion, nothing like the shortfall being talked about here.
Also as you reduce expenses on the playing side, projected income will fall on the other side.
I'm guessing the letter of comfort and no ones willingness to sign it is the main issue here.
And I'm sure that the FAI will enlighten the lads if there's some magic formula that they are missing in Hunky Dorys Park. However, it's probably not the best idea to compare clubs that have a) grounds provided by councils or universities and thus no associated maintenance costs or b) all-weather pitches that are by their very nature generating additional income with Drogheda's situation where they pay rent and are also responsible for all maintenance costs. If there are other direct comparisions with first division clubs, discussions with the FAI will unearth where savings can be made. Hopefully they can be. That's what everyone would want.
Limerick and Cork are two off the top of my head.
Also "all mainenance costs". What are we talking here??
Where we have a ground maintained by the college (though I'm not sure of the exact agreement there), ye have a club bar (which we can't have by virtue of our association with the college) and a ground sponsor. Swings and roundabouts there. And I'd say the maintenance bill at United Park is very small given the state of it at the best of times. (Yes, I like the away terrace, but the jacks for example have hardly had a penny spent on cleaning since I first visited ten years ago)
I thought that was exactly how they did clean them.
We're not arrogant, we're just better.
I thought that was exactly how they did clean them.
but surley clubs who own their ground have as much costs as a club who rents theres, as someone said its swings and roundabouts
I wish i did not know then what I dont know now
Also bear in mind Drogheda have considerable income from weekday use of the car-park at United Park thanks to the adjacent hospital - at least €25,000 and thats a conservative estimate. Income from mobile phone companies for allowing antannae to be placed on the floodlight pylons, the weekly bingo (according to the guy that runs it) brings in €40,000, Billboard income from billboards at the rear of the away shed ,not tomention pitchside advertising boards. Lotto sales etc ....
All adds up to a tidy sum.
It's funny too to think that just two years ago Drogheda, Galway, Bohs, Cork and Derry were among the teams holding meetings to set up an All-Ireland League. The proposed league was praised by several journalists who should have known better as a potential saviour for Irish soccer, though the All-Ireland component of it consisted of a mere two Irish League teams, Glentoran and Linfield, the Belfast giants being the only clubs north of the border with sizeable support.
Odder still was the fact that this league, all of whose teams would consist of full-time professionals, could find no place for such traditional powers as Sligo Rovers and Dundalk, although it did propose to admit perennial underachievers Limerick 37 from the First Division.
http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...s-2466492.html
It is important not to forget the damage clubs like Drogheda tried to do to the league. Imagine the mess that would have been created had they got their way and tore the LOI apart chasing their Celtig Virus vision.
While many fans rightly feel empathy towards their fans, let's not forget that they were a malevolent influence in the league.
Or maybe they could see what was coming for them and shock horror but they tried to get changes that may have helped them survive. Glad they didn't get their wish coz agree it would have done a lot of harm but you can't blame them for wanting what they perceived to be best for their club.
People will have a view on an All-Ireland league, for or against. Anything that is a closed shop is not a good idea in my book. If a league had been formed without Sligo and Dundalk, it'd have been a disgrace.
Thankfully Drogheda and others did not get their way with that. It would have been a terrible mess.
I wouldn't bash the Drog's only for that though. There was a group of clubs looking for the Celtic Virus vision.
Everytime I look and hear about Drogheda's plight, I can't help but think about that late miss away to Dynamo Kiev. How the ball was shot over the bar when it was easier to score late on, I will never forget. The small margins in football games that can change a lot of things. I suppose that was the gamble they took with the casino like finacial gambling model and they were out of luck.
Agreed, there'd probably still be some sort of loss as income would drop, but at least there'd still be a club.
Lets redefine what it means to heal
More about in the Sunday Indo today
http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...s-2466492.html
Nobody knows us, we don't care
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